Crossword Genius

It is designed to produce a return (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

boomerang

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'return' is the definition.
(I know that boomerang is a type of return)

'it is designed to produce a' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'it' could be 'e' ('e' can mean 'electronic' which is similar to 'IT') and 'e' is located in the answer.
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for boomerang that I've seen before include "Aboriginal projectile" , "Aboriginal throwing stick" , "Recoil from" , "Curved throwing stick" , "Self-returning missile" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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